The government’s quest to revive the textile industry has received a shot in the arm through business collaborations with Indian-based textile machinery and technological companies.

The collaboration is being fostered through the ITME Africa and Middle East 2023 exhibition, which will showcase a complete range of innovative textile technology and engineering in multiple chapters of Textile Technology.

The exhibition shall take place from November 30 to December 2, 2023, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

A total of 23 participating countries other than India will be participating, and they include Austria, Benin, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey, Tunisia, Uganda, the United States of America, and Zambia.

State Department for Industry Principal Secretary (PS) Juma Mukhwana said that the revival of the textile industry is well on course, and this year, the government has supported farmers to grow 40,000 acres of cotton, and the next season, the plan is to increase the acreage to 100,000.

Speaking on Tuesday during the pre-exhibition press conference, Mukhwana said, “I don’t want you to be just exhibiting here. I want you to open a warehouse of Indian machinery in Kenya. We want an outlet for Indian textile technology here.”

The PS explained that the machinery used in manufacturing does not attract taxes from the government and thus urged the investors to establish their textile factories in Kenya.

“The biggest manufacturers in Kenya are those of Indian origin, and our manufacturing story is not complete without the Indian dimension,” said the PS.

Mukhwana explained that the last wave of industrialization is coming to Africa, and the continent is ripe for investments since it has young, skilled labour and raw materials. He explained that it would not be affordable to take the raw materials from Africa to India for manufacturing and then bring them back as finished goods.

“If you manufacture in Kenya, you will have access to a duty- and quota-free East African Community (EAC) market of over 400 million people, comprising Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, South Sudan, and Somalia, which is soon joining,” said Mukhwana.

The PS added that Kenya, through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), has been given access to the US market duty-free and quota-free, but Kenya has not even reached one per cent of that market, and thus, if the manufacturers set up shop in Kenya, they will also have access to the US market.

“Through AGOA, we have 31 textile companies based in Kenya that are making top brands like Gucci. Kenya is the leading exporter of textiles into the US, although our market is so small,” said the PS.

“Last week, we advertised for a synthetic fibre factory because we recognised that not all the clothes we manufacture will come from cotton, as some will be from polyester and others,” said Mukhwana, adding that the 31 companies making textiles in Kenya were importing all their synthetic fibre.

India Deputy High Commissioner to Kenya,Rohit Vadhwana, said that an Indian textile company, Best Lifestyle, has recently established an apparel unit at the EPZ, which would employ more than 3,000 people.

Vadhwana said that the textile sector is perhaps the most important for every country, and they have seen it create a lot of job opportunities in India, and it would bring the benefits of modern job intervention to Kenya as well.

“By bringing the textile machinery to Kenya, we are working towards building the technological capacity in the country,” explained Vadhwana.

He commended the Kenyan government for supporting Indian companies, which has encouraged more companies to set up shop in the country.

“Recently, we had Sasaran Technologies, an Indian technology firm, set up shop at the Konza Technopolis, and from there it will be serving the whole of East Africa,” said Vadhwana.

India ITME Society Chairman Ketan Sanghvi said that ITME Africa and Middle East 2023 will showcase a complete range of innovative textile technology and engineering in multiple chapters of Textile Technology.

“The exhibitions shall witness more than 125 exhibiting companies. This once-in-a-four years event in Nairobi, Kenya, is an effort to promote joint ventures and business cooperation for textile and machine manufacturers, which can act as a catalyst towards the modernization of the African textile industry and explore the potential of Kenya as a new business destination,” said Sanghvi.

He added that this Business and Technology Event will enable an inclusive and strong foundation for future prospects with information, skill development, training, trade, and investment, all in a conclusive and formal development path.